


Shirayuki and The Twins

by SwirlsOfEmber



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types, 赤髪の白雪姫 | Akagami no Shirayukihime
Genre: Crossover, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-08 16:38:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14109564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwirlsOfEmber/pseuds/SwirlsOfEmber
Summary: "He has a crush on you, but you're sleeping with the other guy, and courting us?" talk about drama. Fun fanfic with the Hitachiin twins.





	1. Chapter 1

Shirayuki and The Twins

“You’re all out of it?” She said in disbelief. “Do you know when you might get some in? Someone will die without it.”

The merchant shook his head no as he went to take on his next customer.

She took a step back trying to figure out how far of a ride Cobalt Hills were. At least a week ride away, and that’s only one way. So it would take two weeks. Her client won’t be able to hold on that long.

A woman came up to her then. She tapped her on her shoulder. “I know a place that would have what you’re looking for.” The woman had a friendly face. She was one of the helpers from the back room. “It won’t be cheap. But they have… resources that would be otherwise hard to find.”

“I really need it. Where is this place?”

~!@!~

Shirayuki knocked on the door. The place was a mansion. It’s far the biggest house on the street. A butler opened the door. “Greetings miss. How can I help you?” 

“My name is Shirayuki. I come to meet with the twins. It’s important.”

He led her into a waiting room and a maid brought out tea and set it on the small coffee table. Shirayuki nodded in thanks but waited. She was too uptight.

After she waited for 15 minutes she was getting restless and decided the tea might be nice. Two cups of tea later and now she was pacing the room, back and forth. Then, finally, someone came into the room. But it was another maid. “I’m afraid they are a bit busy. Perhaps you should come back again later.”

Shirayuki set her gaze on the woman. “I only need five minutes. This is a life and death situation. I have a badge to show that I work as a pharmacist to the royal court. I will pay twice as much if I have to.”

The woman bowed and turned out the door.

It was mere seconds before the door opened again revealing two young men who looked disheveled. One was trying to flatten his hair down as the other was tugging on sleeves to roll them up.

They were identical twins with red hair a fewer shades lighter than her hair. “You said something about life and death?” Said the twin on the left.

The other twin said “and paying double? If she told us you were this beautiful we would have been down faster.” He said with a wink. It looked like they were both just now waking up. It’s mid-day!

Shirayuki set down her cup of tea and held out her hand. Ignoring the comment. “My name is Shirayuki and I work in the castles pharmacy." She frowned as they didn't bother to acknowledge her introduction and put her hand back down. "I have a patient who is having an allergic reaction and a need terra root. The market has none and don’t know when the next shipment will be and it’s a two week travel to retrieve some. I heard you could help me.”

The boys looked at each other. The messy hair one cocked his head to the side and his brother nodded. Their silent language was unnerving. They called for the butler at the same time “Henry!” The man who greeted her at the door came in. “fetch the terra root.” They said in unison.

“How much, sirs?” asked the butler

The boys set their golden eyes on her expectantly. “I need only three leaves please.”Shirayuki replied. She watched as Henry nodded and disappeared. 

“Thank you Hitachiin-samas. How much do I owe you?” She said getting out her purse.

The one with the messy hair leaned against his brother. “We don’t need money. We actually need a favor instead.”

“Oh? Is someone sick?” she said shutting her purse.

The other one laughed. “Sick in the head maybe. Our mother has been on our heels about marrying, which we have no desire to do. I’m Hikaru, this is my brother Kaoru.”

They said in unison. “We would like to court you.”

“Just until she backs off.” Karou added.

Shirayuki stared at them. “What? But I have a boyfriend.” She sputtered.

“We’ll stay away from the castle, he’ll never know.” Hikaru said

“And we won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. Just attend some parties and be social. You know, put on a show.” said Kaoru

Shirayuki’s mouth dropped. “Are you serious?” She said

“Do you want the herb or not?” The twins said at the same time.

She clenched her hands and nodded. “I agree, but are we talking about days or weeks?”

“Three months.” Said Kaoru.

“Three months.” She said repeating it. That’s longer than expected for three leaves.

The butler came in and tried to hand Hikaru the vial with the leaves.He waved his hand around and pointed towards her. “Check it out, are these what you wanted?” Hikaru said.

She examined the spices. “Yes, these are perfect. You have a deal. You can leave a message at the front gate to get a hold of me.” She said as she went to shake both of their hands again. This time they acknowledged her.

“We will. Thanks for stopping by.”


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two- The First Meeting

 

     Shirayuki not only worked on the man’s medicine but 87 other orders as well. She laid her head down on her desk to breathe. Her hands ached from the seeds, she had a paper cut on her right hand and she burned her thumb against a hot beaker. Today has been a long day.

    Zen would be here any minute to escort her to her room. Today was still Thursday, wasn’t it? They always find time for each other. Whether it was going out for a walk, or kissing in her room, or roasting snacks by the fireplace. She gathered her stuff and waited by the door. Soon enough Zen was there with somebody in tow. An older man wearing a black coat. Should she go and interrupt? Either way she was ready for a hot bath and wasn’t going sit behind the door ease dropping.

    Shirayuki went to greet Zen. It was the one day they could be together and he skipped out last week. He was apologizing through his eyes as he tried to break away from the conversation with the man and failing.  “Shirayuki meet Ootori, he has come to improve the quality of our fields. Ootori, if you have any questions about the west wing, Shirayuki can help answer any regarding the lands for the gardens _t_ _omorrow_.” He emphasized. The introduction was quick as Zen reached for her books and nudged her to walk. But the man kept following Zen, trying to ask as many questions as he could.

  They were already at her door and she frowned. “You’re not coming in today either, are you?” She said softly to him.

   Zen shook his head and sighed as he handed back her books. “We’ll make up for it later. Ok?” He squeezed her hand gently before releasing it. Their relationship was still on the down low. They couldn’t be seen kissing in the hallway. She watched them leave before turning around to open up her door. There goes the rest of her day.

   She set her things down  on the desk and noticed there was a package on her bed. She opened up the letter first. WE DELIGHTFULLY INVITE YOU TO AFTERNOON TEA. Shirayuki flipped the card over to see a big H. She forgot all about the twins. There was no place or time on the card. She set the card down and opened up the box. She heard herself gasp.

   She picked up the simple blue dress. She’s never received anything like this before. She studied the lace on the dress. There were small pearls on them. The bigger pearls were buttons on the back. A rapid knock was at the door before a maid poked her head through. “I’m Michelle, I’ve come to help you dress.”

   So much for a hot bath. Shirayuki was now sitting in a horse and buggy with her hair braided on one side and perfume so strong she is almost choking on it. She was escorted to where ever she is having tea. What if she didn’t like tea? She bit her lip. She almost ran into Obi on the way out. The last thing she wanted to do was put him in the middle of this. This was a deal she made. It didn’t make sense to lie about it. She would have told Zen today, if she had the time. So instead she took the long way around to the front doors and kept her hood up.

    She was dropped off at a small tea shop in town. This was a place she has never been into. She never had the time. It was warm inside. The place was covered in sparkling trinkets and packages of different flavors. She looked down at the price of one. Ouch. It’s expensive, she would rather make her own tea than buy it prepackaged from here.

    She followed the voices and laughter that was drifting in from the back deck. The backyard was a magical place. There in the center was a large table surrounded by outdoor lamps and ivy climbing around the fence.

   There, on the far end of the table sat the young men she met the day before. They were dressed oddly. The patterns on their shirts were obtrusive and their pants clinched to their ankles. One of the twins was wearing military boots and the other wore a shoe that looked like house slippers but different.

   They both wore matching necklaces.

    They both stood up when they saw her.

   “M’lady pharmacist, welcome. You look lovely today.” They were standing before her in a blink of an eye. One was placing a kiss to the back of her hand as the other was twisting a loose strand back into her hair. She took a step back from them. They were standing way too close into her personal space.

“Hitachiins, It’s a great surprise to see you gentlemen today. This is the dress you let me borrow, it is very nice of you.”

   The twin in the slippers pulled out a chair for her. “Please sit, relax. No formalities here. I wanted you in yellow, but Kaoru said you would look nice in lace. I have to agree.”

   Kaoru sat next to them. “We had it made for you. We didn’t want you to have to show up in your work uniform. It’s the latest style, just like the hair do. It’s all yours. Plus, our mom works across the street. So she’ll approve when she spies on us. For now, however, would you like some tea?”

   That afternoon was one of the best nights I had in a long time. We drank tea and talked about everything. We sang and danced and played strange, yet fascinating games. By the end of the night my head rested on one of the twins laps as he fed me a raspberry crumpet and the other was sitting down next to me messaging one of my feet.

“So your boyfriend must be some guy to get a gem such as you. What’s he like?” Kaoru asked.

   I blinked up at him as if I was waking up from a dream. My boyfriend, right, Zen. “Uhh well, he’s tall, he’s good with a sword-“ Hikaru snickered. She rolled her eyes. “- he’s a people person. Sometimes too much of a people person that he gets side tracked and has to work long hours. Like today, we were suppose to have a night out, but this Ootori guy showed up and ruined our date night. But I got to spend the night with you guys so it worked out.”

   Hikaru slid her shoe back on. “Ouch, Ootori?”

   She saw them exchange a blank look at each other. This isn’t good. They can be so secretive sometimes. “He can be an ass like that. Mr. know-it-all.” That’s all Kaoru said before changing the topic.

Shirayuki sat up. “Wait back up. What else do you know?”

   Hikaru replied. “He has his hand in everything. It’s nothing new. He’s more or less of a friend. He won’t harm you.”

   Kaoru lifted her up. “On a different note, we are very lucky he did sweep your boy toy away so we could spend time with you. It’s getting late. We’ll see you again soon, Love.”

She had to admit she didn’t want to leave this little magical garden. But she nodded and hugged them both at the same time.

As they watched her go, they stood next to each other. “You think she’s ready?”

“Maybe. We should do another test run.”  

 

 


	3. chapter three

**Chapter 3**

Shirayuki walked gleefully towards her room. She passed a mirror on the way. She hardly recognized herself. Her hair was still braided, her eyes held a light, her cheeks hurt from smiling too much and that they held a rosy glow.

“Miss?” His voice made her jump.

Obi was standing near the pillar. He was in his civilian gear. He had his head cocked to the side, his hands were in his pockets and he was looking at her funny. “Yes?” She said trying to tug on her cloak shut to hide her dress.  She still held a small box full of those scrumptious crumpets.

He moved closer to her and sniffed her cloak but otherwise didn’t say anything. “Is everything okay?” He said casually but his movements were stiff.

Shirayuki shrugged and shoved the box in his face. “I went out with some friends. You should try some of these. They’re really good.”

Obi fumbled to hold on the small box. He watched her smile at him. “I hardly noticed you with that fancy hair. Did you have a good time?” He said with a grin.

She paused to look at him. Did he know? She nodded in response as he fell into step with her as they headed for her room. Now would be the best time to tell him. She opened her mouth and closed it again. She couldn’t just come out and say _hey, don’t worry, but I was laying down with two handsome young men tonight looking at the stars in a mystical garden._

 “Zen was asking for you earlier.” He said. “Is that what you want me to tell him?” She jerked towards him “That you were with friends?”

Oh, right. “It was kind of the last second  thing. Today was Thursday, and I had the afternoon off. It was nice. You should come next time.” Shirayuki was blabbing away. They were outside of her bedroom now. This time when she looked at Obi he was looking up at the ceiling and he was gripping his shoulder.

“He ditched you again?” He said in a sigh. “Yeah, let me know next time you head into town. I’d love to go.” He reached for her hand and tried to give the box of desserts back. “You should drop these off by Zen’s office.”

Shirayuki put her other hand on top of his. “I brought these back for you. The raspberry ones made me think of you.” His eyebrows shot up high. “Remember the time we were on our way to Tanbarun and you stopped at a food cart and shared a warm raspberry croissant? Anyways, I thought you would like them, but if you don’t want them…” she trailed off as Obi snatched the box back.

Obi stared at her as he held the box possessively. “I never said that I wouldn’t eat them.  I would have got one from him either way.” Obi grinned again.

This made Shirayuki laugh. The magical feeling she felt in the garden returned as if her senses appreciated happiness. “You’re adorable, goodnight Love.” She froze. The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about what she said.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned around and went into her bedroom.

 

~!@!~

Shirayuki received her second invitation with the Hitachiins about a week later. She was at work when a letter of most importance needed to be resolved. EMERGENCY REQUEST: IN NEED OF SHIRAYUKI PHARMYSIST. The hand script looked familiar. Perhaps the boys were in trouble. Shirayuki’s heart was racing. She couldn’t bring more than a handful of things with her. Obi was helping her gathering things without being asked. He hasn’t left her side since Thursday unless he was on guard duty or being sent to carry a message for the prince.

Now they were skipping the rented carriage that was waiting for them out front and Obi had her on his horse. Yes, his horse. Technically they both had horses. Gifts from Zen to come and go as they wished. Obi could ride faster than she could. He escorted her into town and they went straight up to the twins mansion. Shirayuki knocked twice before letting herself inside. “Hello?”

The butler Henry walked in. “Miss, welcome back. How may I help you?”

“Kaoru, Hikaru they called for my assistance. Where are they?”

The butler in black nodded and motioned back out the door. “Across town in the smaller manor.” Another house? Henry gave directions to Obi and they headed back out.

The other manor was smaller, but still impressive. She knocked on the door and waited this time for someone to open it.

One of the maids let her in. They followed her up the dark wooden staircase and to the third bedroom on the right. She took a deep breath and put herself in work mode. Put feelings aside, who knows whats going on in this room. It could be the flu or maybe they broke an arm. She grimaced. She hated mending bones, it wouldn’t be her first and most likely with the men she keeps for company, it wouldn’t be the last.

She pushed the door open and was relieved that wouldn’t be the case.

One of the twins was wrapped up in a blanket as the other brother sat next to him on the bed. “Kaoru, what’s going on?” Shirayuki said as she dropped her sack on a nearby table. Kaoru usually gave better explanations than his brother’s colorful expression. None of them answered her question.

“Where’s the carriage we sent you?” Said one of twins. His face was confused. That’s not relevant right now she wanted to say but the other one overlapped her thoughts.

“Who’s that with you Shirayuki-chan?” said the one in the blanket. Shirayuki still had no idea how to tell the two brothers apart.

She put her hand on her hips. “Everyone get out of the room, but you.” She pointed to her ‘patient’ with the blanket.

He was going to retort her request but thought better of it from how scary she looked just now. When they were finally alone she stood before the young man. His hair was disheveled, his cheeks were flushed. “What’s going on Hikaru?”

The twin looked up at her innocently. “I’m not Hikaru, I’m Kaoru.”

 

-Meanwhile in the hallway-

 

Hikaru sized Obi up from his shoes all the way up to his cat-like eyes.

“You see something you like?” Obi said with a bite. He wasn’t usually shuffled outside like this. He doesn’t like being away from her, he doesn’t like how these people thought it was funny to mess with his mistress’s feelings, he doesn’t like how big this place is, and he didn’t like how this rich bastard was staring at him.

“You don’t seem much like a people person, you’re not her mysterious boyfriend.” The brat said finally as he leaned against the wall.

“No, I’m not. Her boyfriend would cut out your tongue if he knew what happened last week. I’m just the messenger.”

Hikaru took a step away from Obi for good measure. “You mean, You’re her knight. She spoke highly of you.” Hikaru looked at him again in interest.

That is until Obi turned to give him a death glare. “What deal do you have with her? I saw some things last week I didn’t like. Are you guys some sick twisted-“

Hikaru threw up his hands. “I’m an honorable man. She made a pact. Three leaves for three months of fun. Really it’s a win- win for her.”

Obi grabbed the kid’s shirt and tugged him forward. “Make it one month. If she wants to hang out with you after that, that’s on her. But no one should be forced into a situation like that. Honorable, right?”

Hikaru stared back. Obi was only a little bit taller than him. He wasn’t sure if he was afraid or turned on.

Obi watched the emotions flicker in his eyes before Hikaru pushed him away. “Yeah, that’s fine. One month it is.” Hikaru was straightening out his shirt when the bedroom door opened.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

The twins were in the bedroom trying to get dressed as Shirayuki was lecturing them. “You can’t just pull me out of work when it’s convenient for you. I have obligations to the people-“ she said

“We’re considered people.” Kaoru exclaimed as he fluffed up his ridiculous bow tie.

“And we’re your obligations.” Hikaru said shuffling through his closet.

Shirayuki felt like they weren’t even listening. “-People who are sick and could be in pain.” She tried to explain. She glanced at Obi for help but he was standing by the door still as a house plant. He’s probably mad that I sent him away. I didn’t mean it personally. Shirayuki went to stand by Obi. He gave her a small smile in return.

“Perhaps they just have herpes.” Hikaru added as he put on another jacket but stopped to decide he didn’t want to wear the red one, he was supposed to wear green like Kaoru’s.

Kaoru looked bored. “Anyways, Isn’t there like five other pharmacists?” He asked.

“He has a point.” Obi murmured. “It’s nice to see you take a break for once.”

Shirayuki looked at him in agonizing shock. You’re taking their side? She thought.

Hikaru took off Kaoru’s bow and added a white knitted neck scarf instead. Kaoru spoke over his shoulder at her. “Well, if you would have ridden in the carriage, alone, like you were supposed to, you wouldn’t have arrived so early. You could have read the letter and changed on the way. Now we have to come up with plan B.”

“Plan B?”

“The bi-annual concert is today, we’re bringing you to meet mother.”  They said as they shoved a dress into her hands as they walked out the door.

 

~!@!~

“Obi, you can turn around now.” Shirayuki said.

Obi turned around to see Shirayuki look like a big pink puff ball. He covered his mouth with his hands. “What? How does it look?” She questioned. The sound coming from Obi was a mix between a snake and someone choking. She looked at him concerned.

His eyes had tears in them. “Bahahaha!” He was laughing so hard he wrapped his arms around his stomach.

“Is it bad?” She said twirling. “Did I put it on right?”

“You’ll fit right in miss.” He said between breaths. “You missed the top buttons, hang on let me help.” Obi was able to quickly put the golden beads through the loop. That’s the upside of wearing fingerless gloves. He hummed to himself. He was highly aware that it helped feeling her soft skin at the nape of her neck too. When his knuckle brushed against her skin she sucked in a breath. “Is it too tight?” He asked.

She turned her head up to look at him. “No, it just tickles. Thank you for the help. I can hardly move in this thing.” Obi stared down at her lips, but got side tracked with her breasts trying to squeeze out from the top of the dress. He quickly shifted his eyes up to meet hers. She was looking up at him as if he was her favorite person in the world. “Please tell me you’ll be joining us.”

He made a mocking bow. “What type of friend would I be if I let you go in public alone wearing that?”

She pressed her lips together. Her smile turning sour. “You won’t let me forget about this day will you?”

“Not a chance.  I’ll be jotting down every moment. Chapter one: Gliding down the stairs as a pink marshmallow to meet the mother.”

Shirayuki groaned.

A rapid knock was at the door. Obi opened it to see the twins both dressed alike and they both added a pink handkerchief to match their date. “Show time!” They said as they wrapped a thin, green shawl around Shirayuki’s shoulders to match their suits. Obi was amused at the color choices but didn’t say anything.

He watched as the twins escorted her down the hallway. (Her dress took up most of space). They nitpicked at the guests that were going to be here and how one of the musicians, a Lord Tamaki, was coming into town and making his appearance. They explained that there will probably be an after party to look forward to.

Obi put distance between him and them. Old habits die hard, he wanted to scope out the building for all possible exits and or threats.

What he noticed was that he was right. Shirayuki did fit in this society wearing that bubble dress. The room was filled with guests wearing pink, blue, and green.

Obi noticed Shirayuki was being bombarded with people. They surely were showing her off. One of the twins smacked the hand of a guest because he touched her hair. Just as he saw last week, they weren’t going to let any harm get to her.

Obi quickly gazed around the room from his position up above. How did he not notice this many people during their hastened entrance? This was a social clique that master was never into, however Obi counted them as easy targets for thieving; It was a fleeting thought, nothing he would ever consider while he worked at the castle, but they were rich, young, and dumb. Obi sighed. This was going to be a long night.

Obi looked down to see Shirayuki pointing up in his direction and then she shrugged. My presences must be needed. He thought.

When he reached them, Hikaru passed a flask to him. “This will help cure the boredom.“ He said. Obi pulled out his own secret alcohol flask and passed it back.

“It’s like you’ve been to one of these before.” Hikaru said amazed.

  Kaoru stopped his conversation with Shirayuki to listen in on his brothers. “Naw, I just don’t want the other soldiers drinking my rum. It’s strong stuff, the last time someone got into it they slept the whole day away and called in sick. Not only did I have to do a double shift, I was short three bottles.”

The twins eyes were sparkling. “Can we try it? Pretty please? Just a little?” The idea of seeing the twins wasted made Obi smile. Just like that, when he passed his rum over, the twins and him were instantly best friends.

Shortly after the test taste, the music started up and roaring and a crowd formed their way around the piano. Obi was now noticing how in sync the twins moved. They both reached down to grab each other hands but paused and reached for Shirayuki’s at the exact same time. Almost as if she was an after thought. They pulled her up towards the front of the crowd to get a better view.

Then they started whispering into her ear about who-knows-what. He had to admit the music was smooth that it sent chills up his arm. The blonde at the piano played with so much emotion that it stunned the audience into silence. When the song was over he saw Shirayuki look over her shoulder at him. She was smiling as he saw a tear slide down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and the next song started up.

The twins were tearing up as well and handed her one of their pink handkerchiefs. He couldn’t tell if they were fake or real tears. Obi knew right away at how good of an actor they were. They play with people as well as the pianist plays his instrument.  They might have standards but it was still unnerving at how well they play their game. What are their motives in all of this?

It wasn’t until the third song that Obi was starting to get bored. Everyone else seemed to be too. People were walking around the room now in shushed voices as they mingled with one another. A woman in a grey dress with blue stripes was currently chatting with Shirayuki and Hikaru. This must be the boys’ mom, the similarities were unmistakable.   

Now all three of them were looking at him and the mom was waving at him enthusiastically. Obi gave a small wave back. Great, now they’re talking about me. Should I stay or go introduce myself? I wasn’t given much choice when Kaoru wrapped his arm on my shoulders and guided me to his small pow wow of friends instead.

“Man you suck at this. Rule number one, always have a drink on hand. Rule number two, don’t make eye contact with anyone. They will talk at you for hours non-stop. Rule number three, this is reputation kill zone. Looking like that- “ Kaoru made a face. “Makes you look like you’re about to kill someone. Calm the fuck down Romeo.”

Obi grabbed the drink from a little kid in the group, set it against his lips and tipped the glass all the way back. He downed the drink so fast he didn’t have time to choke on the sweetness of the juice with the hint of alcohol. He looked down at the kid. “How can you drink that stuff?” Obi wanted to gag.

“He was thirsty wasn’t he, Takashi?” Said the boy with a laugh.

“Yeah.”   Obi looked up to see a giant standing next to him. He knew he was tall himself but this guy was huge.

~!@!~

Shirayuki took a deep breath when the boys’ mom finally let them be. “Well, that wasn’t bad. Your mom is nice. You shouldn’t be so mean to her.”

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders and stuck his hands in his pockets. “She doesn’t care about us. Not really. She can’t even tell us apart.”

“Neither can I.” Shirayuki protested.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. “You’ve seen us, what, about three times now? She’s seen us on and off throughout our whole lives.”

Shirayuki placed a hand on his arm. “But she still came to see you and your friends. I wish I had a mother to come to my parties.”

Hikaru scoffed. “You probably don’t even have parties outside your busy work schedule.” He said still feeling bitter.

Shirayuki pulled away from him as if slapped. She calmly reeled in her anger “You’re right. I don’t have parties, but probably if I had a mom I would have still invited her instead of letting her find out herself through the town’s gossip.”

Shirayuki wisped and bumped her way through the crowd to find her other boys. She poked her head between the group. Not daring to run into anymore people with her bowling ball shaped gown. They may very well fall over like pins. “Kaoru. Sorry to interrupt but I’m going to head out early. I saw, I talked, I conquered. I think everyone in this room has seen me with you guys. Kinda hard not to.” Then she bent over a little bit farther to reach his cheek for a peck. “You can have the dress back before I “accidentally” ruin it.” She meant she would rather burn the dress but she wasn’t aware of the other four men in the circle, their eyes widened as they looked at her. She blinked back at them. How have they not realized that Kaoru was gayer than a rainbow on new years day, or maybe it’s the fact that they do know and he’s courting a girl.

As she turned to leave she heard Ootori’s voice but kept on walking. “Was that the court herbalist Shirayuki?”

A smaller voice said. “Kao-chan, she’s going to miss out on cake.”

She doesn’t even want cake. She wants to take off this dress and hide under the covers.

 

~!@!~

Shirayuki struggled with the buttons, but final manage to pull the whole fully bloomed dress over her head. She slipped on her uniform and was in the process of buckling her boots back on when Obi knocked on the door. “Come in.”

He awkwardly sat next to her on the bed. “What’s up Miss? Why are you leaving?”

She looked up at him. “I realized why I don’t like to go to parties. It reminds me of everything I can’t have.” When he didn’t say anything she realized the silence was forcing her to fill it up with sound. She exhaled shakily. “I would do anything to be with my mom, and they just blow theirs off. They don’t realize what they have right in front of them. To have someone that cares about them.” The tears that slid down her cheeks this time were not happy tears like they were earlier. Obi wrapped his arms around her.

“I know I’m not a mom, but I promise my hugs are just as good.” Obi said to make her smile. Her arms wrapped around his waist tighter. A slight giggle was heard through the layers of his shirt that her face was presently hidden against. “It’s normal to miss your parents.” He said “But it shouldn’t stop you from doing certain things because it hurts to remember them. You can’t be upset at the past. If you don’t accept it then you’ll let it haunt you the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”

A muffled sound came as a reply.

“Say that again?” Obi asked.

Shirayuki pulled herself away from him and tucked her hair behind her left ear. “I said, you’re right. Thank you Obi. You want to come back with me or are you going to stay here?” She said untangling the rest of herself and buckled the last buckle on her boots.

“I have to admit, I was ready to go the minute we stepped into this place. Let’s go.”


	5. Chapter five

**Chapter five**

Ten hours of work, two abandoned letters from the Hitachiins, and three cups of honey- lavender tea she was finally done with her morning shift at the pharmacy.

 Some of her co-workers have been unusually chatty today. Asking her what happened yesterday and if she had a boyfriend. Which was a tricky question.

She had a boyfriend but no one could know about it. So was that still considered a relationship? What about the relationship she has with the Hitachiins, which was the opposite. A fake romantic relationship with no feelings but made for public view only?  Her answer was considered scandalous yet truthful. No man could claim her as his.

She picked up her things from her work desk and headed out for her room. Once she took a step in the hallway, she was being whisked away and lifted up into the arms of her lover. Zen was there. He smelled like fresh cotton and tasted like oranges. She lingered into the kiss for a few seconds more before she pushed on his chest to put some space between them. She looked up at him in confusion. “What are you doing?” She whispered. “Someone could have seen us.”

“You weren’t here yesterday. I waited only to be told you left early. I’m not the only one skipping out on Thursdays.” He said playfully.

Shirayuki squeezed his arm before moving out of his embrace. “I thought that we weren’t doing Thursdays anymore.” She said lightly. “Maybe we’ll have to come up with another plan to meet up. Like, I don’t know, every other Tuesday instead?” She started towards her bedroom when he tugged her to the left and out towards the gardens. A walk it is then. She thought.

Zen’s arm brushed lightly against hers as they walked down the path. “Tuesdays won’t work. That’s paperwork day. Maybe on Friday mornings?” he asked

It was bright outside. Shirayuki had to squint to look up at him. “Everyday is paperwork day. And I can’t do Fridays because Mrs. Hutch needs her meds and it takes four hours to make.” A gust of wind blew her hair around. Zen moved out of the way. Her hair has gotten a lot longer since when they first met.

He frowned at her. A lot has changed since then. “Is there something wrong between us?” He said suddenly.

Shirayuki looked up at him in surprise. “What?”

Zen looked in her eyes and they stopped walking. “You don’t seem as excited to see me. It’s strange. You didn’t even want to kiss me a few moments ago.”

She looked at him in exasperation. “We were in a hallway and you just kind of surprised me. I was unprepared.”

Zen’s jaw clenched shut. “You used to love surprises.” He said. He was frustrated. Uncertain. It hurt to see him like this. Shirayuki reached out to him but he didn’t respond or pull away. “This is not going the way I thought.” He muttered. “Everything I do seems wrong. I just wanted to make you smile. Maybe we need a break?” His voice got high near the end.

A break from what? She wanted to say. That was the first real kiss she got in three weeks. She sighed and looked around the garden as if it had all the answers. In the far distance she saw two red headed men sitting near the front gate with the guard. Shirayuki bit her tongue. What are they doing here? She looked back up at Zen who seemed to be starring at her still. He wasn’t leaving without an answer.

“I’m sorry Zen. I don’t know why things are weird between us maybe we have grown apart. It’s hard to even plan a day together. Perhaps we should go on a break.”

Zen gave a brief nod. “Does this mean we can’t still talk to each other?”

Something grabbed a hold of her heart. “We can always talk.” She reassured him.

The worry in his eyes disappeared. He relaxed a few degrees and bent over to kiss her on her forehead. “Thanks.” He said as he excused himself. Shirayuki waited until he was back into the castle before she headed towards the front gate. What could they possibly want?

She stood on the one side of the gate and they stood on the other. “Did you get any of our messages?” Hikaru asked.

Shirayuki looked at their outfits. They looked normal for once with matching hats. Where was the bright colors and ridiculous shoes? “Yeah, but I was at work so I haven’t had the time to read them. What’s with the outfits?”  

“We’re undercover, duh” Replied the twins with a flare of their hands showing off their brown pants and white shirts. Were those shirts made out of silk? Hardly commoner material.

“You said you didn’t want us near the castle.” Said Kaoru standing slightly in front of his brother.

“So we’re standing outside the gate.” Hikaru pointed out blandly.

Shirayuki gestured to the guard to keep them silent but she gave up. The attempt to not make a scene is futile with these two. They attract attention where ever they go. “You can let my friends inside.” She said to the guard.

~!@!~

Her bedroom was too small to sit three people so they sat outside under a big tree with a blanket laid out as if they were having a picnic.

 One of the twins was picking at the grass; as the other one had his head on his brother’s lap looking up at the clouds. Shirayuki looked at them in loss. Was she losing them too? Are they here to break up with her? Shirayuki laughed at herself. You have to first be in a relationship, and they were too much into each other to really let anyone else inside. “So how was the party after I left?”

“Not sure.”

“We were pretty wasted last night.”

Ahh so they were hung over. That was why they were so quiet. She chuckled.

Shirayuki dug into her bag and pulled out some mint leaves. “Stick these under your tongue. They help with dizziness and an upset stomach.”

The obediently followed her directions and then they looked at each other. “It’s sweet.” They exclaimed in surprise. Shirayuki rolled her eyes.

“Where’s Obi at?” asked Hikaru as he looked left.

Kaoru looked to the right. “Yeah, he’s always following you around.”

Shirayuki looked at them thoughtfully “Honestly, I’m not sure.” She said slowly. “He walked me home last night and that was the last time I saw him.”

“Yeah, he came back to the party last night. He’s a pretty cool guy.” Said Hikaru

“He did?” she said

“Yeah, I saw Hikaru making out with Obi behind the door.” Replied Kaoru.

Shirayuki felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Oh?” Her face went white. “Really?” She looked at Kaoru and saw how calm he was. The pieces didn’t quite fit. “Wait, what?”

The twins busted out laughing. “Oh my god, she fell for it.”

“Look at her face!” The twins were laughing hard now.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Said Kaoru to Shirayuki. “He has a crush on only you.”

“But you’re sleeping with the other guy and courting us.” finished Hikaru. “Kind of a mood killer.”

Shirayuki felt mortified. She covered her red face in her hands. “No, my boyfriend and I broke up.”

“Oh good, It’s just the three of us plus you.” replied Kaoru as he stretched.

“How will we all fit in bed together, we’ll never fit.” muttered Hikaru.

Shirayuki threw a look at both of them. They laughed again. Shirayuki’s face was still red. “I never said I planned on sleeping with anyone.” She said.

Hikaru tsked. “Dear love, you can’t plan sex because then you’ll tense and freak out. Does Obi know that you’re single now?”

Shirayuki shook her head.

Kaoru grinned at her. “Hmm, maybe you should be the one to find a doorway to hide behind and give him a big-“ Hikaru clamped his brothers mouth shut as he saw Obi walk towards them.  

Obi sat down next to them against the tree. “Hey, you guys planning for another outing tonight?”

Hikaru looked over at Obi by setting his chin on top of Kaoru’s shoulder.

“No, Kao and I have this thing to go to. But you should take Shirayuki out to dinner for us.” He looked over at Shirayuki. “You really should open those letters.”

As if that was their cue to leave. They both got up and left a kiss on her hand. Why does this feel like a good bye? Obi sent her a quizzical look, he was just as confused. The boys gave Obi a salute and walked back towards the gate.

Shirayuki tore open one of the envelopes and out came two reservation tickets for Mediterranean food restaurant a town over. She handed them to Obi as she ripped open the other letter.

_Shirayuki,_

_You left our guests speechless last night. Not only were you amazing at evading mother’s questions but you managed to impress our friends as well. If we knew it was the young prince you were doting after we wouldn’t have asked anything from you. (Ootori told us he saw you earlier)._

_With your brains and social skills, word got out that a high lady from the castle came to our event as a guest of honor. Aka you made us more popular in one night than was possible and your knight had everyone in good spirits. In many thanks, here are tickets for a date night you deserve. No one will know. Send us a letter if you get bored. It was fun._

_K &H Hitachiin_

 

Well then… This was unexpected. Shirayuki folded up the letter slowly. Obi was waiting to hear the news. “The good news-“ she said “- we made them famous somehow last night. The bad news is they don’t need me anymore.” She said shocked.

Obi tilted his head to the side. “Are you sure that’s bad news?”

She looked up at him. “I broke up with Zen earlier. Is that considered bad news?” Different emotions flickered across his face.

“How many other boyfriends do you got miss?” Obi teased.

 Shirayuki shook her head. “None. I swear. But I am in need of a date tonight. Are you free?”

Obi smiled at her. “I don’t know, I think I can squeeze you in between 5pm and 6pm. I might have another date to go to tonight.”

“Obi!” Shirayuki yelled out as she reached for his rib cage.

“I’m just kidding! Ouch, it’s rude to poke people miss.”

She poked him again. “No formalities here. Let’s just keep it simple.” She said.

“Alright, meet me out front in two hours, love?” Shirayuki stared at him. It sounded so strange coming from his mouth verses when the twins said it. “What? You said it to me the other day, I thought I would try it out.”

“I know, it’s just… wow. Ok I will see you in two hours.”

  

END

 


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